Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 40,899 complaints - component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Incident date: Aug 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle jerked. The check engine warning light was flashing. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart, but there was thick black smoke comi... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE L
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 25, 2025
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 25, 2025
Incident date: Jul 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled, with an abnormally strong odor coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders, causing engine failure. Th... Read more
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2020) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 25, 2025
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry Solara. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken for the State Inspection, and the contact was informed of an engine emissions leak. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that parts were not available and that the parts needed to be ordered for the recall repair. Th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic and was diagnosed with engine failure due to a blown head gasket. The head gasket was re-machined, but the vehicle continued to experience engine failure, which included cylinder misfires and coolant... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 22, 2025
Incident date: Mar 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was rattling, and the vehicle was idling rough. There was no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that occasionally while driving on the highway, the vehicle lost automotive power while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). However, the part required for the recall repair was currently unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Upon contacting the dealer, the contact was informed that the oil pump needed to ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW X1. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System). The contact stated that there was a whistling sound coming from the vehicle while driving. Additionally, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The “Service Soon” message was displayed. The service and oil messages were displ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was running rough and idling rough, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaire... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed. The dealer became aware of an abnormal sound coming from the lifters and camshaft, which failed to create a misfire. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not... Read more
Incident date: Aug 6, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal ticking and knocking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the nearby dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed based on the abnormal sounds. The dealer determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V27... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Cadillac Escalade. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle jumped and hesitated while accelerating until the vehicle exceeded 20 - 25 MPH. The contact stated that at 1,500-2500 RPM, the failure recurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while looking online, the contact discovered information about NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (E... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 22, 2025
Incident date: Aug 4, 2025
See attached document for complaint. Text from attached document: Unacceptable delays in repair: We have contacted 2 local dealerships, both of which have informed us that the necessary parts are unavaila ble and cannot provide a clear time line for when repairs will be completed. Leesburg Buick GMC Hummer (Country Buick GMC at time of vehicle purchase) Joyce Koons Buick GMC (Service Manager: Mic... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
See attached document for complaint. Text from document: After that encounter I called the dealership inquiring as to the availability of the specific repair parts for the recall I was told that unless I was already experiencing a problem they would not even look into the matter. This sounded ridiculous to me so I left messages for management but my calls were not returned.
Incident date: Aug 22, 2024
See attached document for complaint. Text from attached document: Last week [ went to get the oil changed at my local Jiffy Lube and was told, "We can' t service Lhis vehicle any longer because it has been re-called." I asked, "what I am supposed to do? They said Cadiliac is supposed to Lake care of it. After calling Mark Christopher Cadillac in Ontario, Cali fornia they said they can't help me ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the message “Engine Overheating” was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the engine to cool down. After restarting the vehicle, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact then noticed a fluid leak underneath the front of... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2018) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Feb 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was inspected by a mechanic, and during the test drive, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) as a pos... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 40 MPH. The “Low Oil Pressure” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine oil pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the... Read more
DODGE
GRAND CARAVAN
(2019) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Aug 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stated that the check engine and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. There was an abnormal metallic grinding sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 had resulted in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be r... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, while the vehicle was idling, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon XL. The contact stated that after start-up, the vehicle was driving roughly before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact had previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number:... Read more
JEEP
GRAND CHEROKEE
(2023) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Yukon. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was n... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while her granddaughter was driving approximately 30 MPH, the low oil pressure and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that her granddaughter heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was driven to a dealer who was unable to diagnose the vehicle immediately. The vehicle was th... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving, a ticking noise was present coming from the engine, and the vehicle suddenly stalled. Moments later, smoke and flames were present coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire was an engine failure. A fire report was filed at the scene. Th... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Rogue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and a secondary dealer, Weston Nissan (3650 Weston Rd, Weston, FL 33331); were mad... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, after contacting several local dealers, the contact was advised that the vehicle would not be inspected unless a failure had occurred that was related to the recall, and then the recall repair would be provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired... Read more
FORD
MAVERICK HYBRID
(2022) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 21, 2025
Incident date: Aug 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH and attempting to accelerate to overtake a semi-truck, the vehicle suddenly started losing automotive power and then stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that prior t... Read more
Incident date: Oct 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45-65 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal waterflow sound. The check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that upon scanning the vehicle with a code scanner, the contact retrieved a diagnostic trouble code related to a cylinder #2 misfire. The con... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Focus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 ( ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the local dealer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about when parts would be available. The contact had not... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failur... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that the part to do the recall repair was available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the dealer refused to perform the recall repair because the vehicle had not experienced the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle would ... Read more
TOYOTA
CAMRY SOLARA
(2008) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 20, 2025
Incident date: Aug 15, 2024
The contact's daughter owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and it was acknowledged that the failure was a known issue. The dealer recommended that the vehicle no longer be driven and remain with the dealer for addition... Read more
Incident date: Aug 13, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 BMW X3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the fail... Read more
GMC
HUMMER EV SUV
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 20, 2025
Incident date: Aug 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated before starting to blink afterwards. The vehicle was steered over to the side of the road and restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an Auto Zone, where a handheld diagnostic machine retrieve... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. A code scanner was used and retrieved a code for a misfire in cylinder r#3. Upon additional inspection, the contact became aware of excessive coolant consumption. One day, while stopped at a stoplight, the engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine temperature wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The message "Coolant Overheated" was displayed on the digital display screen. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart as intended. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an ... Read more
VOLKSWAGEN
ATLAS CROSS SPORT
(2024) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 20, 2025
Incident date: Dec 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling roughly with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who suggested that the spark plugs be replaced and a tune-up be performed based on the mileage. The dealer performed the spark plug replacement and tune-up, and the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated; how... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer six times; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure related to the recall.
CHEVROLET
SILVERADO 1500
(2021) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 20, 2025
Incident date: Aug 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2023 Volkswagen Taos. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the head gasket. The head gasket was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. Later, while driving 55 MPH, the message "Transmission Failure" was displayed and the tran... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 65 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating - Please Pull Over" was displayed, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion, and the engine needed to be ... Read more
FORD
FIVE HUNDRED
(2005) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Aug 19, 2025
Incident date: Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2015 BMW 328I. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V608000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall r... Read more